Purify Your Mind Series (Part 3) by Joe KirbySample

Nip Adultery in the Bud

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27–28)

Everyone knows cheating is wrong. We have television shows dedicated to it, and even the people of the world are horrified when a man or woman commits adultery. But Jesus proves that there is none righteous, not even one, and although many of us would never cheat on our spouse, we all have committed adultery in our hearts. According to God, lustful looks are not harmless but very serious, because sin begins in the mind. If we nourish bad thoughts, it leads to the act. I’m sure if we displayed the thoughts you and I have had in the last week on a huge screen and put it in the center of town, we’d both be totally ashamed. What’s scary, though, is that the advertisers and entertainers of the world know that sex sells, so they exploit it; when we walk down a street, it’s easy to commit adultery a dozen times! Billboards are sensual, music videos are saturated with soft-core pornography, and now, because of social media, modesty has been thrown out the window. We must train ourselves to stop mindlessly lusting in this impure culture. Remind yourself that sexualizing others is wrong and people aren’t chunks of meat for your own gratification—no, they are souls made in the image of God.